Cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes are associated with increased adipose tissue, in particular, an increase in visceral adipose tissue. Surprisingly, however, recent research has reported that young black women have more total adipose tissue, but less visceral adipose tissue than white women. Paradoxically, black women have a higher incidence of obesity and are affected by obesity-related health problems more so than white women. Thus the relationship between abdominal obesity and health problems may not be as strong in the black population as it is in the white population. This would suggest there are other underlying causes. In postmenopausal women, one possible mechanism for the increased abdominal fat could be linked with endocrine changes. Changes in estrogen with menopause may directly or indirectly alter dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), growth hormone (GH) or insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations. These hormones have been linked with increased body fat (57, 59) and/or increased abdominal visceral adipose tissue (10). Abdominal visceral fat and these hormones have not been studied in either black or older individuals. In addition, estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) can potentially alter these relationships between adipose tissue, hormone concentrations and health complications. To address NIA research objective number 2, the purpose of this project is to determine if racial differences exist in the relationship between regional body fat distribution and resting hormone concentrations (DHEA, GH and IGF-1). Further we will establish if the relationship between the blood lipid profile and body fat distribution is dependent on race and estrogen replacement status. Sixty age-matched postmenopausal women (30 black and 30 white women (15 on ERT and 15 not on ERT)) will have visceral adipose tissue, hormone concentrations and blood lipid profiles measured. This project is one of the first attempts to look at visceral adipose tissue in older black women and attempt to establish if differences are associated with blood lipid profiles and to differences in resting hormone concentrations.